1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the recording of audio data to a plurality of media, and more specifically to a method for encoding user data into audio data.
2. Description of the Related Art
A consumer's options for the appreciation of music have been greatly expanded with the development and growth of the computer industry, and with computer use in both the recording industry and in the home. Where once only the most skilled and sophisticated could produce and reproduce commercial quality recordings, a plurality of processes from creating one's own music, to internet download of commercially recorded and produced songs and albums, to creating custom mixes of desired music for both computer and audio component use is not only possible, but common practice for many an average consumer music enthusiast.
Multimedia is but one field of the growing expanse. Multimedia combines a plurality of media in a single presentation. By way of example, a text document might have an associated slide show that executes when a figure is selected, or a video might contain a separate audio narration sequence, or an audio recording might be supplemented with a music video, slide show, or visual commentary on the artist, the song, upcoming concert dates, and the like. While the combinations and resulting presentations are only as limited as the imagination of the person creating the file or presentation, there are still some technological barriers. One challenge is the combination of audio with other types of data in a single file.
As is known, uncompressed audio data is generally in a form and format distinct from that of other user data. While both audio files and data files might be written in a format that can be read from and written to the same optical media, for example, uncompressed audio (e.g., audio files in 44100 KHz, 16 Bit stereo uncompressed format) remains distinct from other forms of data. The challenge this presents is the combining of uncompressed audio with other data files of any type, and in particular, the combining of uncompressed audio with other data files on optical media.
In general, when audio data and other data files are recorded to the same optical media, the audio data and the other data files are recorded in independent, separate, tracks. Examples of such combining of audio and other data include a mixed mode compact disc (CD) which has one data track followed by up to ninety-eight audio tracks, and CD Extra, which has up to ninety-eight audio tracks in a first session, followed by a data track in a separate session.
The recording of audio and other data files in independent, separate tracks and sessions does not present a problem for the average consumer in the simple recording of the tracks and sessions. Typically, the user selects the files to be burned to a destination optical media, and a media creating or recording application sequences the files and sets up the tracks and sessions on the destination media. The resulting media has audio tracks and a single data track, and thus both audio and data files are formatted and recorded to the same optical media. There is, however, generally no association between one or more audio files and one or more data files.
An exemplary multimedia presentation might include an audio song with accompanying CD text. Such CD text might include the name of the song, artist, recording date, producer, writer, lyrics, and other such information about the song, artist, and others involved in the recording and producing of the selection. Additionally, other data might be used to enhance the audio presentation. Other data files such as picture or image files, video clips, or an executable program might be desired to complement and enhance the audio data.
Typically, the audio data and the text or picture data is contained in separate files in separate tracks in the exemplary multimedia presentation. When transferring the presentation from one media to another, for example from one optical media to another optical media, or from an optical media to a hard drive, the user would need to know the source files of both audio and other data. Additionally, the audio data file would require some association with the text or other data. The average consumer might not be aware of the separate files, the locations of the files, and the necessary processes to transfer and associate the files. Although other file formats such as MP3 may encode text and pictures, there is currently no method or format of encoding additional data into uncompressed audio data with the capability of writing the encoded audio stream directly to compact disc (CD).
An additional drawback to separate but associated uncompressed audio and additional data files written to CD is that the data must be written disc-at-once. In mixed mode CDs, a data track must be written first, including any associations with audio tracks, followed by the audio track or tracks. Similarly, with CD Extra media, all audio tracks are written, followed by the single data track, again with any associations to the audio tracks.
What is needed is a method, system, and computer readable media to simplify the process to both transfer existing audio file and accompanying text, video, image, or other data files, and to create associated or combined audio and other data files.